


My Favorite Is the Summer Flavor

by onceandforall



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cuddling, First Kisses, Multi, Mutual Pining, Other, Polyamory Negotiations, blue and noah the forever trouble makers, blue noah and adam are coworkers, gracious descriptions of sweat, hand holding, it's summer and it's hot out, ronan is actually the suave one for once, shaved ice shop au, the pynch is minor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 17:50:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11742093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onceandforall/pseuds/onceandforall
Summary: Blue and Noah make a bet and Gansey gets caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile, Adam is done with their antics and Ronan likes sour things but the sweet employee even more.





	My Favorite Is the Summer Flavor

**Author's Note:**

> for some reason, hot summer days really make me think of the gangsey. thank you to the n4l crew for getting me back into these kiddos :). always, a huge thanks to erin for the beta, especially when she doesn't even know the characters. you're a real one. song title is from [red velvet's red flavor](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WyiIGEHQP8o)
> 
> enjoy!

When Blue walks into the shop, she’s met with Noah’s cheshire grin and Adam’s indignant expression. She doesn’t pay much attention to it, and instead goes to the back room to put down her stuff and change her clothes. Noah is always doing something that pushes Adam’s buttons and Adam is always being strung along on Noah’s adventures. Last time that Blue had walked into such a scene, the two boys had mixed together all the flavoring that the shop had and drunk it in one go. It was a terrible idea and Noah had to (Though Blue suspects that it was more of a want than a necessity, judging from his snapchat story filled with him chasing around his cat.) call in sick the following day. 

 

“Good morning, Blue,” Noah says when Blue walks back out. He’s leaning on the counter, his hands cupping his face. “Isn’t it a beautiful day?” 

 

Blue scoffs. She might have her license, but she doesn’t have car insurance so her mother doesn’t let her drive. Blue spent twenty minutes riding her bike in slightly rainy, but insanely muggy weather. She has never been grateful for the ugly uniform that the manager insists that they wear, but there’s a first time for everything. At least they’re dry clothes. “Depends on your idea of beauty.” 

 

“Aw, come on. I think you’re beautiful,” Noah says, looking out of the window with a fond look on his face. It’s the same way that Noah looks at ice cream sandwiches and at Blue when he wants something that Adam has already said no to. 

 

“You would think that the rain would mean that people wouldn’t want cold things,” Adam says. He checks his watch, sighs, and then goes to flip the sign on the door to ‘open’. “But today’s going to be pretty rough, isn’t it?” 

 

Blue sags against the counter. Sure, there might be a thunderstorm a few hours out, but that doesn’t make the summer heat any more bearable. The humidity does strange things to Blue’s short hair, but it does even stranger things to the amount of people craving shaved ice. Blue eyes the empty tip jar forlornly. Maybe having a bunch of customers means that they’ll finally make some recent tips. Blue does need new gloves to replace the old ones that Noah had stolen off her when she wasn’t looking.

 

“At least it’s a nice day?” Noah questions, looking between Adam and Blue. He knows that the two of them don’t like rain, but he always likes to tease whenever the opportunity presents itself. 

 

Blue and Adam share a look. The door rings, indicating that someone has walked in. The day officially starts and Blue puts on her best smile. 

 

“At least it’s a nice day,” Adam agrees under his breath. 

 

“Good morning. Welcome to Cabeswater Ice,” Blue greets. Nice day or not, it’s going to be a long one. Blue rolls up her sleeves.

 

\-- 

 

Blue was supposed to be off at one, but someone had called in sick and Blue didn’t really have anything better to do, so she had picked up the shift with no complaint. After graduating high school, Blue had been excited to finally spend a summer how it should be spent: lounging around until noon, eating junk food, hanging out with friends, going to the beach and getting a nice tan. However, her summer is more like this: sleep, work, more sleep, more work. Blue’s not complaining, (Future College Blue is certainly not complaining about the extra pocket money.) but she’s not lying when she says that the best part of her day is when she gets to clock out. 

 

Noah had left a little before one, but at least Adam’s here to help Blue with closing. Luckily, it’s not too late out. Unluckily, the humidity hadn’t budged one bit and Blue is already dreading riding her bike back home. It’s times like these that Blue really wishes for a car. At least with a car, Blue could sit with the air conditioning on full blast. On a bike, she has to rely on the wind but with the summer like this, all she will be getting is hot air. 

 

“I can give you a ride home,” Adam says, mopping by the tables. The problem with a shaved-ice place is that both the ice and the syrup get everywhere. Kids have slippery hands. 

 

Blue sighs. Adam hadn’t even looked up but he must have sensed her desperation. Her and Adam were always on the same wavelength when it came to items like that. “You are a godsend.” 

 

“You speak like I’m not going to ask for something in return,” Adam says and he sounds serious, but he’s smirking. He leans against the mop. “What’s your mom making for dinner?” 

 

“Hopefully something edible.” 

 

“It’s a deal then.” 

 

Blue gets out her phone text her mom (and her aunts and cousins and half cousins. Her household has a hectic groupchat to relay information and Blue shamefully admits that for 95% of the time, the chat is on mute.) that they’ll be having a guest for dinner when the front door opens and the ring chimes. Blue rolls her eyes: they’re five minutes from closing and someone chooses now to walk in? 

 

“Working hard, or hardly working?” someone says and Blue freezes as she pinpoints the voice. Of course it’s him. She looks over to where Adam is and sees him freeze as well. 

 

“Sh, Ronan. We’re here to get shaved-ice, not get in a fight,” says another voice and Blue isn’t surprised. Where Ronan goes, Gansey follows. Or maybe it’s the other way around, Blue isn’t quite sure. All she knows is that she has never seen the two apart from each other. But following that train of thought, Blue hasn’t seen them outside this shop and never when Adam isn’t working. 

 

Gansey and Ronan walk to the counter, Ronan looking at the menu above Blue’s head as if he doesn’t order the exact same thing every time he walks in. Blue could have nightmares about making his super sour pink lemonade and warhead mix. Could, if Ronan wasn’t shy around Adam. Although maybe shy is too strong of a word, Blue thinks as Adam puts away the mop and comes up to the counter to take their order. Ronan doesn’t seem shy, but he’s more careful with his word choice and he never looks at Adam when Adam is looking at him. Ronan’s presence takes up a lot of space but when he’s around Adam, it’s almost as if the edges are a bit softer and more approachable. Adam is a very crush-able person (Blue talks from first-hand experience), so it’s no wonder that Ronan has a big fat crush on him. Adam asks for Ronan’s order and Ronan shrugs and tells Adam his typical order. Nothing more, nothing less. 

 

As far as Blue can tell, Ronan relies more on his actions than his words when all he needs are eight words: Will you go on a date with me?

 

“And anything for you, Gansey?” Adam asks, punching in Ronan’s order. Blue knows that Adam’s tired from working, but he looks content now. They’d make a cute couple, Blue muses. 

 

Gansey shakes his head. He’s ditched the contacts today and he’s wearing wire-framed glasses that make him look more intellectual and put together. If Blue squints her eyes, he looks a bit like Superman, but more on the Clark Kent side than the saving the world by saying your mother’s name side. “No, I’m good. But could I talk to you, Jane? It’ll just be a moment.” 

 

Blue is surprised. Gansey and her only know each other as customer and worker. He had somehow thought that her name was Jane the first time that he had come into the shop and while she had corrected him as he became a more frequent costumer, the name had stuck. Blue finds it a bit annoying, but they don’t talk much so Blue lets it slide. Honestly, they’ve never really spoken outside the pleasantries that are socially mandated (and insisted by Blue’s boss) for politeness. “Sure?” she replies. 

 

Gansey cocks his head to the side and walks to the end of the counter. Blue looks at Adam and sees him shrug at her. So he has no idea either. Great. 

 

“You look very beautiful today,” Gansey starts and oh, this is where the conversation is going. Gansey is nice, yes. Handsome, yes. But Blue isn’t dating him. For starters, he’s not Blue’s type. 

 

“Ah, sorry–” Blue says, trying to not be mean but also trying to get the message across. 

 

Gansey stills, puzzled. A second passes and he widens his eyes and then lets out a small laugh. “My bad,” he says and now Blue is the confused one. “I didn’t mean to come across that way, though you are pretty. I just wanted to give Ronan and Adam some space, you know?” He points a thumb to the two of them and Blue notices how tense Ronan is, almost as if wants to say something and the words are at the tip of his tongue but he just can’t seem to get them out. 

 

“Oh,” Blue says, the situation making sense. “Is he finally going to ask Adam out today?” 

 

The confusion seems to be like a ping pong game because now Gansey looks surprised. “What? How did you know about Ronan’s crush?” 

 

Blue rolls her eyes. “Please, Gansey. Ronan’s crush isn’t subtle at all. I saw it the first time that Ronan and you walked in. Which was two months ago.” 

 

“Really?” Gansey asks, sounding more sincere than Blue had expected. “I didn’t know until a week ago when Ronan told me.” 

 

Blue laughs. “You’re way denser than I thought you would be.” 

 

“The glasses aren’t for show, but I guess I’m terrible at seeing things anyways.” Gansey shrugs, but the action is more of an apology than anything else. Ronan walks up to them then, shaved-ice in hand. 

 

“How’d it go?” Blue asks and she sneaks a look at Adam. Adam isn’t doing anything out of the ordinary, but maybe that’s a good sign? Adam never was the one to draw attention to himself. 

 

Ronan stares at her, but Blue has known him for a month and a half too long for that look to do anything. “It went.” 

 

Blue cocks an eyebrow, waiting for Ronan to continue but all Ronan says is that they’re leaving and then he’s out the door, leaving a questioning Gansey and Blue behind.    
  


“I don’t think it went as planned,” Gansey admits. He rubs the back of his neck and then sighs. “Have a good night, Jane.” 

 

“Turn the sign on your way out, will you?” Blue waves goodbye at him as he leaves the store, watches the two of them loiter out in the front for a minute, and then turns her attention to closing up shop. 

 

It isn’t until thirty minutes later, after they struggled to put Blue’s bike in the back seat of Adam’s car and Blue is sitting happily, albeit a little cramped, in the passenger side as the AC dries the sweat on her face that Blue asks about Ronan. 

 

“Nothing happened. He ordered his drink, you and Gansey gossiped, and then they left. He doesn’t like me, Blue.” 

 

“First of all, Gansey and I were not gossiping. We were having an intellectual conversation, thank you very much.” 

 

Adam isn’t convinced, and rightfully so. They were gossiping, but just a little bit. “What about?” 

 

Blue pauses and she knows that her cover is ruined, but she continues out anyways. If Blue is anything, she is stubborn. “About Congress. Politics. Boring, intellectual conversation.” 

 

“Sure.” 

 

“Second of all!” Blue interjects. They’re at her house now and Adam parks his car in the driveway. “He does like you, trust me.” 

 

Adam changes the subject. “Whatever is cooking smells good.” 

 

Blue sniffs the air to find that he’s right. It does smell good. Her stomach rumbles and she realizes that she’s more hungry than she previously thought. “This conversation can and will continue on a full stomach,” she announces and Adam agrees. 

 

\-- 

 

“He was here?” Noah laments, throwing his arms backwards and almost tipping himself over. Noah isn’t working but he is still in the shop, lounging around and heckling Adam until he gives him a freebie. It’s been a lax day so far, customers coming in and out, but not enough to create a steady stream. In one of the lulls, Blue had told Noah about what happened a few days before when Ronan had tried, and failed, to ask Adam out. Noah, expectedly, had been engrossed with the story. 

 

“Yes, he was here,” Blue says. “I don’t understand why you like him so much. He’s okay, I guess.” 

 

“He’s okay? He’s okay?” Noah says, incredulous and getting louder with every word said. Blue tries to shush him, but he’s relentless. Luckily, there’s no one but the three of them in the shop. “Gansey is gorgeous, and you know it.” 

 

Gansey is handsome, Blue will admit. But she won’t mention that to Noah. Noah isn’t very quiet about his crush, but as Blue had found out, Gansey is as dense as a solid piece of cement, so he probably just thinks that Noah is being friendly to get extra tips. “So when are you going to ask him out?” she asks. 

 

Her question shuts Noah right up and Blue can’t help but but let a smug smile slip onto her face. She’s known Noah since the start of high school, and she knows that he’s like a small dog, all bark but no bite. He might go on and talk about Gansey as if Gansey is God’s greatest gift to humanity, and might flirt with him as much as possible, but Noah’s not going to ask Gansey out. Noah is all bravado and no follow through. Blue thinks it’s cute, if only slightly irritating. 

 

“Please,” Noah admits, a few seconds too late. “If I had a chance with him, I would. But I don’t, so I won’t.” 

 

Blue folds her arms across her chest. “And why exactly don’t you have a chance with him?” 

 

Noah looks at her, really looks at her, and Blue can guess what he’s about to say, but she wants him to say it outloud so she stays silent. “He’s like, straighter than a ruler. And I don’t ask out straight boys.” 

 

“Aw, come on. He doesn’t look that straight,” Blue replies but as the words come out of her mouth, she realizes how wrong she is. The first thing that she noticed about Gansey was how composed he looked, as if he just stepped out of a meeting with a CEO of a Fortune 500 Company knowing that he had struck big. The second was how expensive he looked. From the shades on the top of his head to the bulky watch on his wrist, there’s no way that he doesn’t come from money. The third was how straight he was. Maybe it was the ugly boat shoes, or the Colgate approved smile, or how he tucked in his button-up shirt. There was something about him that screamed “solely into females”. 

 

Noah sticks out a tongue at Blue. “See, you probably stand a better chance than me.” He puffs out his chest a bit, as if he’s ready to make a war declaration. It’s supposed to be a serious pose, but Blue only finds it cute. Although, she finds everything about Noah cute. 

 

“Though you probably don’t even have the guts to ask him out,” Noah says and it wasn’t just a pose, it actually was a war declaration. Blue can hear Adam sighing. 

 

“Please don’t make it a competition to see who can ask out Gansey first,” he says, sounding tired. Blue might complain about having to deal with Adam’s and Noah’s antics, but her and Noah are just as bad. “It’s going to end badly and you know it.” 

 

Blue tilts her head, thinking everything over. “I don’t really like Gansey in that way, though.” She hadn’t even thought about him until the other day when it sounded like he was going to ask her out, and she would be lying if the idea of them together hadn’t been floating through her head. He’s handsome, and he’s nice, but Blue doesn’t really know him other than him as Ronan’s friend. 

 

“I didn’t ask if you liked him in that way,” Noah retorts, completely ignoring Adam. Blue can hear Adam sigh again. “I just said you don’t have what it takes to ask him out.” 

 

“Excuse me, but you’re the one who’s been pining after him.” 

 

Noah takes a step forward, challenging. “I’m not pining, I’m admiring.” 

 

“You wouldn’t ask him out even if the perfect opportunity presented itself.” Blue takes a step forward as well. 

 

“Bet.” Noah’s at the counter now. 

 

Blue’s on the other side of the counter. “First one to ask Gansey out wins.” 

 

“Does he have to say yes?” 

 

“Nope.” 

 

“What does the winner get?” 

 

“Winner gets a dinner. Paid for by the loser.” 

 

Noah leans forward just as Blue does, and their heads touch. “You’re on, Sargent,” Noah says. 

 

“May the person with the most guts win, Cznery,” Blue says. 

 

Adam, for the third time in as many minutes, sighs. 

 

\--

 

According to Adam, Noah was the one with the first chance but when Ronan and Gansey had walked into the shop, Noah wasn’t able to do anything. Adam told Blue over pizza that he had never seen Noah that nervous and Blue laughed. Adam, however, didn’t bring up anything about Ronan so Blue can only assume that Ronan wasn’t able to muster up the courage either. Maybe her and Noah should have included Ronan in their bet. 

 

And now here is her chance right in front of her and Blue didn’t even have the energy to tame her hair after the bike ride. She hurriedly looks into the distorted reflection that the refrigerator gives off and combs through her short hair, trying to make the disheveledness look intentional. At least neither Adam nor Noah are working, so if she messes this up, there will be no one to tease her about it. 

 

“Welcome to Cabeswater Ice,” one of Blue’s coworkers says and Blue turns around, hair okay and face okay. This is okay. She can do this. 

 

“Hey, Gansey. No Ronan today?” It’s unusual for Gansey to come by himself. The two boys are both regulars, or about as much as a regular as you can get you’re going to a shaved-ice place. 

 

Gansey shakes his head and for the first time, Blue truly takes him in. He’s taller than her, but that’s not saying much. His hair is styled, his clothes fit him just right, and his eyes sparkle with something that Blue can’t quite place. He’s handsome. (Conventionally so, a small voice rings in Blue’s head.) Blue’s talking to a very handsome boy. Blue has to ask out said handsome boy. She lets out a breath, unsure if she can actually do this. 

 

“No, Ronan’s feeling under the weather today. It’s just me.” He smiles and it’s such a kind smile that Blue feels undeserving to be on the receiving end of it. “Why? Would you prefer Ronan over me?” 

 

Blue must have pulled a face because Gansey laugh and even his laugh makes Blue nervous. She’s never been like this around him, so it must be Noah and his bet setting her off. It’s Gansey. He’s handsome and probably helps old ladies cross the street and is smarter than Blue and Noah combined, but it’s just Gansey. The same Gansey that supports his friend as he tries to ask someone out and the same Gansey that is staring at her now, waiting for her to reply. 

 

Blue lets out a stale laugh and she can feel blood rushing to her face. This is terrible. “No, but I hope he feels better. What would you like to order?” 

 

Gansey looks at the menu for only a second before asking for medium with watermelon and coconut. Interesting combination, but Blue’s not the one to judge. 

 

“With the works?” Blue asks. 

 

Gansey grins and Blue tries her hardest to not be affected by it. No wonder Noah wasn’t able to ask out Gansey. Gansey is so much that it’s a bit overwhelming. “The works,” he replies. 

 

The works consists of putting ice cream on the bottom of the shaved-ice and then drenching the entire thing in condensed milk. It’s Blue’s favorite thing about this place. “Good choice.” 

 

She comes back with his shaved-ice a few minutes later and Blue knows that this is it: do or die; sink or swim; now or never, Blue Sargent. 

 

“Thanks, Jane,” Gansey says, taking his food. 

 

“Have a good day,” Blue says and she watches as Gansey walks away and out of the shop, her first chance going with him. 

 

When Gansey is a sizeable distance away she throws her head back and groans. This is proving harder than she thought. 

 

“Having a bad day?” someone asks and Blue turns her head to find her coworker Henry Cheng smirking at her. “Is the bet not going well?” 

 

“How do you even know about that?” Blue questions. She and Henry and coworkers, sure, but nothing more than that. The only other people that know about the bet are Noah and Adam and they’re– oh, they’re closer to Henry than Blue is. But still, why does Henry have to know? 

 

“I have eyes and ears everywhere, Blue.” He sticks his hands out and waves them by his side. “Call me omniscient.” 

 

“Was it Noah?” 

 

“No, actually it was Parrish. Surprising, right?” Henry takes his phone out his pocket. “I live-texted him the entire encounter, if you don’t mind.” 

 

Blue groans again. Great, now Adam and by extent, Noah, know about her epic failure. She’s glad that she’s not scheduled to work with either of them until the end of the week. “Thanks, Henry. Really feelin’ the love.” 

 

“You can always count on me, Sargent,” Henry says, sliding his phone back into his pocket and smiling. “But going after Gansey, man what a bet.”

 

Blue takes in a deep breath. “Yeah, I know.”  

 

\-- 

 

It’s been two weeks and the two of them are at a deadlock, three if you include Ronan, which Noah likes to do. Combined, they’ve had five chances to ask Gansey out and they’ve failed every single one of them. The closest that the two of them got was when Noah had gotten halfway through his question before Gansey’s phone rang. (That means Ronan has also had five chances to ask Adam out, and as far as Blue knows, Adam still remains single.) They’re all sorely losing this game. 

 

“I don’t get it,” Noah laments, his sweat drenching the collar of his shirt. It’s the peak of summer and all Blue wants to do is to jump into the nearest pool and drown in it. The nearest pool just so happens to be at Noah’s house, which is where they’re headed to now. But on foot. Because Noah had insisted and Blue has a weak spot when it comes to Noah. 

 

They were holding hands, but the heat had made their palms too sweaty to be comfortable, so Blue’s hands swing freely at her side. “What don’t you get?” She can feel the sun glaring at her skin and she’s grateful for the dad hat that she shoved on her head right before leaving her house. They only have about half a mile to go, but it seems like this last half mile has stretched on forever and then some. It doesn’t help that it’s on a slight incline. Curse Noah for living in the hilly part of town. 

 

“Why asking out Gansey is so hard.” He pants and rubs the back of his hand on his forehead. He stops walking, putting his hands on his head as he takes in deep breaths. “Let’s take a break, okay?” He points to a tree on the side of the road. It’s large, mostly in the person’s yard but a bit of the leaves hang over the sidewalk, creating a bit of shade. 

 

“We’re almost to your house, though,” Blue says. At Noah’s house there’s also shade, but most importantly there’s air conditioning, ice cold water, and a pool. 

 

Noah walks to the shade and promptly sits down in it. He taps the space next to him. “Yes, but if I get back up I feel like I will actually die.” 

 

Blue rolls her eyes but takes the spot that Noah had offered. The shade is nice; even the air in it feels cooler. “You’re so dramatic. You’re impossible.” 

 

Noah shakes his head and Blue notices that Noah’s skin has finally gotten some color into it. It’s a miracle: Noah is always pale as a ghost and the sun never seems to do anything about it. But while Blue definitely wins the melanin game, Noah’s skin has a nice glow to it. If he wasn’t currently in the first stages of heat exhaustion, he’d be pretty.

 

“I’m not impossible. You know what’s impossible? Gansey. He’s impossible.” 

 

“His name is Richard,” Blue says absentmindedly. She’s looking out to the street in front of them, admiring the way that the heat waves distort the air and make everything look like slick oil. It’s her favorite part of summer, and if it could exist without the extreme temperatures, Blue would be a happier person. 

 

“Richard Gansey?” Noah asks, aporetic. “That sounds like a name straight out of a bad Shakespeare knock off. How do you know it?” 

 

“Henry told me the other day when he was asking about the bet. And you know Henry, he gets his information from everywhere.”

 

“Good ole Henry,” Noah muses, his voice trailing off. They sit in comfortable silence, the only sounds being their evening breaths and the dull drumming of Noah’s fingers on the concrete. Blue likes being around Noah because of this: there is a calming atmosphere that surrounds them. Sure, they can get in each other’s faces and throw around sharp words, but there’s this amiable side of their friendship as well that Blue treasures. Being around Noah is easy, it’s simple. 

 

Once Blue feels like she is significantly cooled off, she pokes at Noah’s shoulder, asking if he’s ready. 

 

“I like the shade,” Noah says, closing his eyes and leaning towards Blue. She takes that as a no. He rests his head on Blue’s shoulder and even though he’s still sweaty, Blue doesn’t mind. It’s Noah being the affectionate Noah that he always is, the tiredness just making his actions more pronounced. “You’re comfortable too,” he adds, his voice muffled in Blue’s shoulder. 

 

Blue cards her hands through his hair, gives up because his head is too damp to be hygienic, and starts rubbing his shoulder instead. “And you’re hot.” 

 

Noah shifts so his mouth is free and his words come out clearer. “Aw, thanks. I think you’re pretty cute as well.” 

 

Blue lightly shoves him, but Noah doesn’t budge. “Please, you know that’s not what I meant. You’re sweaty and gross. And I need to have been in a pool, like, five minutes ago.” 

 

Noah drapes an arm around Blue, ignoring her pleas. “Two more minutes.” 

 

“You’re like a kid, Noah Czerny.” 

 

“A giant 18-year-old baby. You got that right,” he says, but he moves and lets Blue go. He stretches, his shirt riding up in the process. He stands up and then stretches some more. There are sweat stains on the concrete from where he was sitting and it’s gross but Blue knows that when she gets up, there will be stains left from her as well. Such are the woes of being a sweaty mess. 

 

“How about we eat some ice cream before we go swimming?” He offers a hand out to Blue, wiggling his fingers at her. 

 

“If there’s chocolate syrup, yes please.” Blue grabs onto his hand and Noah must have pulled too hard or think that Blue is a lot heavier than she actually is because she jolts up, crashing into Noah’s chest. Blue looks up, a bit dazed, and looks right into Noah’s eyes. She’s so close that she can count his eyelashes, can see the faint scar on his cheek from where he ran into a pole their sophomore year, can see the mole that he has on his chin. 

 

“Blue Sargent, I love you,” Noah says, his breath fanning over her face and Blue swallows. She can feel an imaginary switch go off in her head, something that was always there but coloring everything in a new light. Noah’s handsome, they’re still holding hands, and things make sense. It’s always been Noah and Blue. Blue and Noah. 

 

Blue blinks and Noah notices their proximity for the first time. “I mean, I love you and your idea for chocolate syrup. That sounds really good, especially if we’re trying to drown our sorrows of our failed attempts to ask Gansey out.” He’s rambling and Blue doesn’t know what to do with a rambling Noah, so she steps away. 

 

“Lead the way, Czerny,” Blue says and still holding onto each other’s hands, they finish the small trek to Noah’s house. Blue can’t help but think about how nice their hands fit into each other’s and how she really wouldn’t mind kissing him. But other than that one moment of flusterness, Noah keeps his composure and that leads Blue to believe that this is all a one-sided pipe dream. 

 

After all, Noah likes Gansey. They have a stupid bet going about who can ask him out first. And while Blue doesn’t want to win, she certainly doesn’t want to lose either. What if Gansey says yes to Noah? What if? 

 

Ah, Blue, she chides herself as she sits at the kitchen table and watches as Noah searches for the ice cream in the back of the freezer. What did you get into this time? 

 

“Haha! Found you!” Noah exclaims, reaching his hand into the depths of freezer and taking out the carton. In the process, he also takes out half of the items on the shelf, but his smile is so victorious and contagious that Blue can’t help but be amused. 

 

This is going to be a problem, isn’t it? 

 

\--

 

Blue is technically on her break, but she’s still in the front of the shop, watching Noah take Gansey’s and Ronan’s orders. She’s playing a game on her phone, but she wouldn’t be able to tell you what game because she’s just using it as an excuse to sneak quick glances at the scene that is unfolding in front of it. It’s better than any romance drama she has ever seen. 

 

“And will that be all?” Noah asks and Blue can hear how his voice wavers ever so slightly. Blue grins to herself and wishes that Adam would reply to her texts. She’s sent four of them in the past two minutes and Adam hasn’t even read them. How else is she is supposed to appreciate this encounter if it isn’t done through live texting? 

 

“Actually,” Gansey says, pausing, leaning back, and tilting his head up. Noah’s eyes widen a fraction. “Ah, nevermind.” Gansey shakes his head and smiles and there goes Noah’s chance at asking Gansey out. Blue has been on the receiving end of that smile and it makes all the thoughts go out of your head, makes you feel like you’re floating. It’s a mind-boggling experience to say the least. 

 

_ Looks like you’re still losing _ , Blue texts to Noah’s phone, knowing that Noah won’t be able to look at it until his break. It’s the type of delayed gratification that Blue enjoys. If she’s being honest with herself, she’s glad that Noah doesn’t have the courage to make good on their bet. There’s always that slight chance that Gansey would say yes. Blue isn’t a mean spirited person, but now that she has realized her feelings, she doesn’t want to let Noah go that easily. 

 

It’s not that Noah dating other people is bad or something she would hate, but it’s a complicated situation. Blue has never liked one of her friends before, but maybe that’s because she’s always had feelings for Noah? In hindsight, these things make a lot more sense. 

 

Noah hands Gansey and Ronan their shaved-ice and Gansey thanks him like the gentleman that he is. Ronan digs the straw into his cup and walks towards the door, not looking to see if Gansey is following him. Which he isn’t. Gansey loiters by the counter, looking at Noah like he wants to say something but doesn’t have the courage to do it. 

 

Blue tucks her phone into her back pocket. This is shaping up to be interesting, but interesting how? Is Gansey going to do what Blue thinks he’s going to do? She can feel her heart already hurting. 

 

“Can I talk to you?” Gansey asks hurriedly, and he looks like he surprised himself by how fast his words came out. 

 

Noah points a finger at himself. “Me?” 

 

Gansey nods. “Yes, you. But Jane too, if she doesn’t mind? I know you’re on break.” 

 

Now it’s Blue’s turn to point a finger at herself. “Me?” she asks. 

 

Gansey nods again and beckons her over. Blue and Noah stand on one side of the counter, shoulders touching, and Gansey is on the other side. “This is a weird question, so I wasn’t sure how to go about it,” Gansey says and Blue is even more confused than before. 

 

“We’re already here, so you might as well ask it,” Blue says. 

 

Gansey raises an eyebrow at her, taken aback by her sharp reply. Blue didn’t mean to be rude, but she doesn’t know what Gansey is going to throw at her. 

 

“I’m worried about Ronan. He still hasn’t done anything about Adam and it’s been, –what?– six weeks? I feel like I need to help and I wasn’t sure how, so I decided to ask you two. I know you might just be Adam’s coworkers, but any help is good help at this point.” 

 

Blue can’t help but chuckle. Gansey really cares about Ronan, doesn’t he? It’s sweet, but the buildup was completely unnecessary, so she tells him that: “All that drama for that one question was not needed, you know.” 

 

“Drama?” 

 

“Yes,” Noah says. “Like calling us over one by one. Preluding your question with a warning. Drama.” 

 

“Oh.” 

 

Blue can sense that Gansey is a bit lost, so she reassures him. “It’s okay, though. You wanted us together to talk about ways to help Adam and Ronan, right?” 

 

Gansey nods. “I feel like a bad friend if I don’t do something. Ronan really likes him.” 

 

Why does Gansey have to be so sweet on top of everything else? Blue can see why Noah likes him because if she’s being honest with herself, she likes him too. Maybe not as much as she likes Noah, but the sentiment is still there. 

 

“The only time that they see each other is when Ronan buys something, right?” Noah asks. “So what if they meet some place else? We could stage it to be an accident or something and see how that works. Maybe all they need is a change of scenery.” 

 

“That’s a really good idea, Noah,” Gansey says, flashing another one of his smiles and both Noah and Blue are blinded by it. Blue doesn’t know how Noah can handle it twice in a single afternoon. “I didn’t even think of that. My thoughts were more on the lines of you talk to Adam and I talk to Ronan?” 

 

“And what would we talk to them about? How they’re both pining for each other?” Blue asks. 

 

Gansey shrugs. “Something like that.” 

 

A sudden idea strikes Blue and she tries to hide her smile as she talks. Noah is going to throw a fit once Gansey leaves the store. “How about you give me your phone number and we can talk about this more later? My break’s almost over, anyway.” 

 

And just as she thought, as soon as Gansey is out of sight and the sudden rush of customers has faded, Noah pouts at her. 

 

Blue smirks and stands up straighter so she can ruffle his hair. “What’s the face for?” she teases. 

 

“That’s against the rules, Blue Sargent.” 

 

“What is?” 

 

Noah groans. “You’re walking a thin line and you know it.” 

 

“I’ll put us three in a groupchat, sound good?” Blue offers.

 

Noah brightens up immediately at her words. He cups Blue’s face in his palms, his touch light. “You’re amazing, Sargent.” 

 

Blue pushes away his hands, ignoring the butterflies in her stomach that Noah’s proximity had produced. “Yeah, yeah. You still haven’t won the bet, though.” 

 

\-- 

 

Blue thinks about quitting her job at least once a day, twice if she has to double up on shifts, three times if there are annoying customers. It’s become a constant in Blue’s life, right up there next to having to drink whatever weird tea concoction her mother has made that day.

 

But if she had quit, she wouldn’t get to see the scene in front of her. 

 

“Oho, what is this?” Blue asks, hands on her hips and a broad grin on her face. Ronan and Adam jerk away from each other, trying to get as such space between them as possible as if they weren’t just kissing a second ago. 

 

“It’s nothing!” Adam says, obviously lying. Ronan doesn’t say anything, but he’s flushed red. Blue thinks that it is an interesting color on him. 

 

“How long has this been going on?” she teases. 

 

“Why are you so nosy?” Ronan asks and Blue stares at him, questioning. 

 

Blue titls her head up in challenge. “I’ve always been a curious person. Not my fault.” 

 

Ronan shakes his head. “Good answer.” He rubs the back of his hand on his lips and then walks away, waving goodbye at the two of them. “Later, Parrish.” Waving goodbye at only Adam then. That’s okay: she knows that she wouldn’t want to be friendly to the person that interrupted her kissing session. 

 

Blue waits until she hears the door open and close before talking. It’s better to be safe than it is to be sorry. “So, coming in before hours to kiss a little? How scandalous,” Blue preens, jumping towards Adam. “I’m so happy for you.” 

 

Adam exhales. He’s always tired, but he seems more relieved than anything else. “Thanks, Blue.” 

 

“So how did this happen?” she asks. She wasn’t lying when she told Ronan that she is a curious person. She wants to know every single detail. Or at least as much as Adam is willing to disclose. Either works. 

 

“It’s really nothing big,” he says. “He just asked me out the other day when I gave him his drink. It wasn’t much, but it was very… Ronan.” 

 

“The other day?” Blue and Adam don’t have every shift together, but they do share a lot of them. Blue is wondering if Ronan managed to ask out Adam under her watch and how he got away with it without Blue noticing. 

 

“Like, two weeks ago? Give or take? I’m not sure.” 

 

“Two weeks?” Blue does the math in her head. She and the boys (When did Gansey and Noah get grouped into a single entity?)  have had their groupchat for week and a half week. That means that all their matchmaking efforts have been in vain. Oh, wait until she tells the boys about this. 

 

“Don’t tell Gansey, okay?” Adam asks. “I know about your groupchat. Noah isn’t exactly subtle about it.” 

 

Blue pouts. “The groupchat wasn’t supposed to be a secretive thing,” she defends.    
  


“But the part about planning to get me and Ronan together was?” 

 

Blue is going to strangle Noah and his loose tongue the next time she sees him. “We were just trying to help.” 

 

Adam laughs. “It’s fine. It’s useless, but fine. But what about you?” 

 

“What about me?” Blue swallows. Has he noticed her crush on Gansey? Or even worse: has he noticed her crush on Noah? 

 

“The bet with Noah,” Adam continues and Blue subtly exhales. “Have either of you gotten any progres? You have his number now, so that should make things easier.” 

 

Blue hangs her head. She wishes that things were easier. The three of them get along so well that it’s jarring. While Noah is wild, Gansey has a level head, and Blue is there to connect all the pieces together. They work, but with each passing day it’s becoming harder to even think about asking out Gansey because her feelings for both of them keep growing. She doesn’t want to ask out Gansey because she doesn’t want to leave Noah alone, but she also doesn’t want Noah to ask out Gansey and for her to be left out. It’s a conundrum that Blue has spent many nights thinking about. She swears that if she stares up at her ceiling any longer, she’ll stare a hole right through it. “We’re in a deadlock. Gansey is a hard person to ask out,” she simplifies. It’s not a lie. 

 

“So it seems,” Adam replies. “But good luck. You somehow seem like you need it.” 

 

He’s right: Blue needs all the luck she can get to get herself out of this sticky situation. 

 

\--

 

“One time when I was in fifth grade, I jumped down from the top of the monkey bars and broke my wrist and three fingers,” Noah says, staring at the red monkey bars of the playground. He rubs his hand as if there is still a lingering ache.

 

“Three fingers?” Gansey asks, his eyebrows up in surprise. “Just three fingers?” 

 

“Hey!” Noah exclaims. “Three fingers is a lot of fingers. Did you want me to break more, or something?” 

 

Gansey face sours. “No, no. I didn’t mean it like that!” 

 

Noah sticks his tongue out at him, then laughs and swings an arm around his shoulders as if they’re best friends. 

 

They fit together, Blue muses as she watches the boys interact. She’s a few feet away from the two of them, having ran a little late to their meeting to get Parrish and Lynch together. (She hasn’t told them yet that they’re already dating.) They haven’t noticed that she is here yet, but she is content watching them. Noah is tall and lanky, fair-skinned, and sometimes Blue is afraid that his wiry frame is going to be taken away on a heavy breeze. Gansey, on the other hand, is tanned and sturdy. He carries himself so well that Blue can’t help but look at him. She can’t help but look at Noah, too. 

 

She really has it bad, doesn’t she? 

 

“Having fun without me?” Blue says, her voice dripping in faux petulance. She pouts exaggeratedly as the two boys turn to look at her. Both their faces light up, and the sight sends a warm feeling through Blue. Even if she can’t have both of them, she’s happy just being around them.

 

“Of course not!” Noah defends just as Gansey shouts, “Jane!” 

 

Noah rushes towards her and gives her a hug. She lets herself sink into it, lets herself breathe in his scent. He smells sweet, like apples and cinnamon. 

 

“Now that we’re all here,” Gansey says, always cutting to the chase. 

 

But Noah beats him to the punch. “We should try out the monkey bars.” 

 

Gansey looks at Noah as if he’s going to say something back, but he instead just shakes his head, amused. He extends his hand towards the monkey bars. “To the bars we go.” 

 

Twenty minutes later, they’re still on the monkey bars and haven’t even talked about their matchmaking scheme even once. Blue prefers it this way: it’s nice to let loose and have fun. 

 

The bars are about Gansey’s height, so he doesn’t have to let his feet leave the ground for him to the do them. Noah has to stretch just a bit, but then he can also reach them. Blue, with her short stature, has to jump to reach them. 

 

She must have had more upper body strength as a kid because she can barely go three rungs forward before her arms are screaming at her to let go. She rubs the palms of her hands gingerly, feeling the callouses already starting to form. Monkey bars did not used to be this hard. 

 

She turns around and sees Noah on the first rung. “You got this, Noah!” she says as Noah tries to skip three bars. He skipped two five minutes ago, but it’s looking like two might be his limit. His arms don’t seem long enough, his fingers barely making it. But it’s just enough that he’s successful. He skips the rungs, lets himself drop to the ground, and high-fives Gansey, cheering. 

 

“That was pretty impressive if I do say so myself,” Gansey says, smiling that one smile. 

 

“Thank you, thank you.” Noah bows to them as if he’s a conductor after a successful performance, hand positioned on his back and all. 

 

“Careful there,” Blue warns, but there is humor in her voice. “If you compliment him too much, Noah will never stop gloating.” 

 

Gansey lets out a small laugh. “Good to know, good to know.” He looks like he’s going to say more, but his phone rings. His ringtone is a terrible song, sounding more like a person squawking than a person singing. It sounds familiar, but she doesn’t know where from. Maybe someone in her house had played it once? 

 

Noah gapes at Gansey. “Your ringtone is Murder Squash?” he asks, exhilarated. “That’s, like, the best song made this decade!” 

 

Oh, so that’s where Blue has heard the song. It’s a godawful song, but Noah likes it’s because he thinks it’s funny. Blue hopes that whoever made the song made it as a joke. She doesn’t know how she would feel if someone made that song with no ulterior motive. 

 

Gansey looks sheepish. “Yeah, Ronan set it as his ringtone on my phone. He’s obsessed with that song.” He shrugs, looking like he’s had to explain it many times over, and takes his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll be quick.” 

 

And he is quick: not even a minute later, Gansey is back, his hands in his pockets. “Sorry about that, but I have to go. Ronan needs something.” 

 

Blue feels a twinge of sadness in her. She only just got to hang around with Gansey, and now he’s leaving? It all seems a bit too soon. 

 

Noah seems to feel the same way: “We haven’t even talked about Adam and Ronan yet!” 

 

Gansey hangs his head. “I know, I know. But Ronan sounded urgent so maybe he’s further along than we thought he was? He told me that he had to tell me something, whatever that is.” 

 

Blue knows exactly what that is. She’s glad that Ronan is going to be the one to break the news to Gansey. Both Ronan and Gansey deserve to have it happen that way. They care about each other like brothers. 

 

“Aw,” Blue says, trying to keep from sounding too disappointed. “We’ll have to talk more later.” 

 

Gansey nods his head. “Of course!” He hugs Noah and then Blue. He smells sweet too, but different from Noah. He smells like mint and lavender and Gansey lets her go too soon. “See you later, Noah, Jane,” he says, waving goodbye. 

 

They both wave at Gansey and then watch as he crosses the playground to where his car is parked. It’s an old car that’s painted an ugly orange. Blue wouldn’t imagine him in any other car. 

 

“Ah,” Noah says. “So what now, Jane? Shall we go get ice cream or something?” 

 

“Don’t call me Jane,” she tells him but Noah smiles at her words. She shakes her head, wanting to be incredulous but knowing fully well what Noah is capable of. “And I think I’m all ice-creamed out for the summer, to be honest.” To be really honest, Blue doesn’t have her wallet on her and she doesn’t want Noah to pay for her. “Swings?” she suggests instead. 

 

\--

 

There’s something oddly calming about being on a swingset. Blue swings slightly back and forth, her toe dragging through the wood chips. Noah is on her side, swinging but not really swinging. The summer sun has seem to have taken most of the energy out of them, leaving them with a relaxed mindset. It’s still hot outside, but it’s a bearable warmth. 

 

She looks at Noah and sees that he’s spaced out, staring straight ahead, but his mind is lost in the clouds. The sun is a backlight to his features, making Noah’s profile glow. He’s so handsome that Blue feels her heart swell by just looking at him. 

 

Noah blinks slowly. The subtle glow around his face makes him seem otherworldly, ethereal. He looks too perfect to belong next to Blue. Blue reaches out her hand and softly pokes at his shoulder to make sure that he isn’t a figment of Blue’s imagination. 

 

Noah jolts out of his stupor at Blue’s touch. “What’s up?”

 

Blue stares at him and stares at him and stares at him. Blue likes him so much that it feels like all the air has been taken out of her lungs. “I like you,” she says and immediately regrets it. She didn’t want to confess, perfectly happy with their friendship. 

 

“You what?” Noah asks. His furrows his eyebrows. 

 

Blue steels herself. Her confession is already out there, so she might as well continue on with it. “I like you, Noah. I like you a lot.” 

 

“Oh.” Noah goes quiet, but he doesn’t stop looking at Blue.  If anything, he looks at her more. “Why?” 

 

Blue pauses. Why? There are million reasons that Blue likes him, but she’s stunned by the question. “Why?” she asks. “I tell you that I like you and then you ask why?” 

 

“Yes…?” Noah replies. He looks down at the wood chips beneath them. “I mean, you’re you, Blue. You’re great and amazing and why would you like someone like me? You’re lovely, Blue.” 

 

Blue blushes. She hadn’t expected that from Noah. “Hey,” she says, reaching out her hand to touch his shoulder. It’s different from the small poke, so she has to tilt her body and lean into the swing to be able to put her entire hand on him. “You’re lovely, too.” 

 

Noah looks up at her and his face is so close to Blue’s that Blue can feel his breath on her face. She supposes that he can feel her breath as well. “I like you too, Blue,” he says. “You’re pretty cool.” 

 

Blue smiles. “So first I’m great and amazing, then I’m lovely, and now I’m cool? Make up your mind.” 

 

“Why can’t you be all of them?” he asks and then he kisses her. 

 

Kissing Noah is sweet. Kissing Noah isn’t something that she has to think about. She hasn’t had much practice kissing, but she knows that Noah is a good kisser. She wonders if Gansey would be a good kisser. Oh, right. Gansey. 

 

Noah breaks away, but leans forward again and presses two soft kisses on her lips before really breaking away. He puts a hand on the bottom of her face, his thumb tracing her jawline. His touch is both soothing and exhilarating. Blue didn’t know that such a thing could be possible. 

 

“Blue,” he says softly and she loves the way he says her name. How can you love the way someone pronounces something? “Will you be my girlfriend?” 

 

Blue wants to say yes, but she’s still swimming in all of her emotions. “What about Gansey?” she asks instead. 

 

Noah looks a bit shocked at her question. “What about Gansey? The bet?” 

 

Blue nods. Didn’t this entire thing start because of the bet? “Don’t you still like him?” 

 

Noah drops his hand from Blue’s face. Blue then notices the awkward position that she is in and raises her feet, letting herself swing back into place. There’s a bit of distance between the two of them, but Noah extends his hand and Blue takes it. 

 

“Well, yeah. I still like him. But I like you, too. I like you more,” he reassures. 

 

“But I like him too,” she says. It’s probably better to get everything off her chest in one go, right? 

 

Maybe not. Noah looks even more shocked. “You what?” 

 

“I like both you and Gansey,” she repeats. “A lot.” 

 

Noah hums, but doesn’t respond. Blue curses at herself. She totally messed this up, didn’t she? She has a bad habit of screwing up the good things that life gives to her. She hopes that after this awkward confession, she and Noah will still be able to remain friends. Noah is too good of person to give up, so Blue will take what she can get. 

 

“So let me get this straight,” Noah finally says. He points in between the two of them. “We like each other.” Blue nods. “And we both like Gansey?” Blue nods again. “Crazy.” 

 

“I don’t know what to do,” Blue admits. Potentially, she could be with both of them, but she doesn’t know if Noah or Gansey would be open to the idea. Dating more than one person isn’t exactly the status quo. She sighs in frustration. 

 

“We both ask him out,” Noah says matter-of-factly. “Together.” 

 

Blue raises her eyebrows in surprise. Did Noah just say what she thinks he said? 

 

“We can all date each other, if Gansey is okay with it,” he continues. “Bonus points because neither of us lose the bet.” 

 

Blue wants to kiss Noah, so she does. “Do you think he’ll say yes?” she asks. 

 

Noah shrugs. “Only way to find out is to ask.” 

 

He’s right. The only way to find out is to ask, but it’s easier said than done. They’ve both been trying to ask him out for weeks, but maybe asking him out together will give them more confidence. 

 

“I hope he says yes,” Noah says and Blue hopes so too. 

 

\-- 

 

It’s been two weeks since Blue and Noah have gotten together, two weeks since Gansey (and Noah, Blue had told him on their way home.) had found out about Adam and Ronan, two weeks since Blue and Noah decided to mutually ask Gansey out. 

 

Two weeks, and they still haven’t done anything. 

 

But today’s different. Blue can feel it in the air. Her and Noah are the only ones working, and since summer is winding down, they have been having less and less customers. Gansey comes in when there’s only a couple of girls giggling in the corner, and he stays long enough for them to leave. 

 

Today’s the day. She squeezes Noah’s hand as she walks over to where Gansey is sitting. “Hey, Gansey,” she greets. 

 

“Hi, Jane,” he replies and Blue forgets the entire speech she had thought of. Damn it, it was a good speech too. “How are you doing?” 

 

“I’m good,” she replies. “I mean– I have, uh.” 

 

Noah comes up from behind her. “We have a question we would like to ask you.” 

 

“Oh,” Gansey says and he sounds amused. “That’s funny, I had a question to ask you two as well.” 

 

“Ask away,” Noah says, stalling as much as possible. Blue steps on his toe and he flinches. They were so close to asking. 

 

Gansey rubs the back of his neck. “Don’t be taken aback,” he warns and Blue rolls her eyes. He always starts off with mundane sentences like that. “But I was wondering if you two would like to go out on a date?” 

 

Both Noah and Blue freeze and Gansey’s eyes widen as he takes in their reaction. “Haha,” he fake laughs. “I take back what I said, it’s alright.” 

 

Blue finds her voice first. “You want to take us out on a date?” She waves in the space between her and Noah. “Both of us?” 

 

Gansey nods. “Both of you.” 

 

“Oh my god,” Blue exhales and she sinks into the seat in front of Gansey. “We’ve been trying to ask you out on a date for two weeks,” she admits. 

 

“Two weeks!” Noah reiterates, and he giggles. Blue can’t help but laugh a little too. This has to be too good to be true, but it’s what’s happening. 

 

“So I take that as a yes?” Gansey asks, still hesitant. 

 

Blue and Noah looks at each other and then look at Gansey. “Yes,” they say together.

 

\-- 

 

“You know,” Noah says, one hand running through Blue’s short hair. His other arm is wrapped around Gansey’s shoulder. The three of them are laying in Gansey’s bed, grateful for his unnecessary (but now, completely necessary) king-sized bed. They were talking about nothing in particular, and Gansey had drifted off to sleep. Blue likes to watch Gansey as he’s sleeping because he’s mesmerizing. She loves looking at both Gansey and Noah and loves even more that she is able to. 

 

“I know what?” Blue questions. She close to fall asleep as well. A nap does sound good. 

 

“We never figured out who won the bet.” 

 

“Hm,” Blue muses. “We never did. I mean, technically Gansey won, didn’t he?” 

 

Noah laughs and Blue, on his chest, can feel the vibrations. “If we’re being technical, didn’t Ronan win? He did ask out Adam before we got any of our shit together.” 

 

Blue breathes in. It smells like cinnamon and mint. She doesn’t really care about the bet, but she’s okay with humoring Noah. “So if Ronan won, who buys dinner?” 

 

Noah thinks for a second. “Gansey. Gansey buys us dinner.” 

 

“How logical,” Blue says and she yawns. She’s getting sleepier by the second, and her thoughts are coming slower and slower. 

 

Gansey stirs besides them. “I’m what?” he asks, his voice groggy with sleep. 

 

“Nothing,” Noah says. “Go back to sleep.” 

 

Gansey sighs, gets closer to Noah, and sighs. Noah rubs small circles on his shoulder and then kisses the top of Blue’s head. 

 

“Night,” Blue says, even though it’s midday. 

 

“Night,” Noah replies.

 

“Night,” Gansey says, and the three of them, on a warm summer afternoon, sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/_onceandforall) or [tumblr](https://www.romanuva.tumblr.com)! thanks for reading!


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